RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

An Elementary School is learning a difficult lesson about bed bugs. Teachers and administrators have noticed a couple of students with red bite marks from bed bugs.

A Schools spokesman says, "It started to spread into the community. It started to spread from a couple of kids to now about 10 kids whose homes are infected with bed bugs."

Parents found out two weeks ago that these tiny night crawlers are apparently coming in from the student's homes.

"The thing people need to realize is the school is not infected. You've got children whose homes are infected and they're bringing bugs in the schools. We're being proactive and doing all that we can to address the situation and prevent the spread of bedbugs from one child to another."

The school has tried to keep the bugs at bay, even buying a washer and dryer to clean clothes.

“Bed bugs are not a joke," says one parent. "I actually know somebody that has bed bugs and it took about a year and a half to get rid of them. They had to get rid of everything they owned."

Many parents feel the school district is doing all it can. The school superintendent says "To me, it's about education. It's about educating the public."